Re-capping Russian Imperial Stout

[Muz]

I've got a RIS in bottles in my cupboard and I'm having issues with carbonation. I'm considering popping the caps, adding some CBC-1 yeast and then re-capping. Or maybe I just need to be patient?

The beer is a RIS which I brewed a few months back. The yeast is Wyeast 1968 and it was in the fermenter for about 4 weeks. Toward the end I added oak chips and bourbon (shouldn't impact bottle carbing right?). It smells and tastes amazing. I bottled it about four weeks back. I individually primed each bottle so I'm confident there is enough dex in each to carb it up nicely.

I cracked one last night and there was an initial small hiss when I opened the bottle. The beer poured completely flat though. My guess is that all the yeast dropped out in the long ferment. 1968 flocs well so that would make sense.

Now I need to work out if I should pop the lids and add some CBC-1 or if I just need to be patient with them. The hiss indicates something is happening right? So there is some yeast in there. Do I just give it time?

I realise there is probably no right answer to this. Just want to know what others would do in this situation.

Thanks.

 

[razz]

Let it go another month Muz.

 

[Vini2ton]

Maybe just do some of them, and see what happens down the track.

 

[Muz]

@Vini2ton yeah, I did think about that. It increases my odds of at least some of them carbing up.

 

[razz]

I think you are maybe ignoring the facts Muz. Your initial thoughts, on opening a bottle, were that it needs yeast. If it needed more yeast you probably would have had no hiss what soever. You know you dosed each bottle correctly and you have a highly flocculant yeast, but it will still have enough carry over yeast to re-ferment each bottle.
Patients grasshopper.

 

[Muz]

Thanks @razz. You're right. If there is some yeast in there it must just need time.

 

[MHB]

What's your alcohol content 1968 is good up to about 9% ABV, but over 7.5-8 can be pretty sluggish going the extra.
Mark

 

[Muz]

It 9.8%

 

[MHB]

I take it you have worked out the problem, issue is that CBC-1 can go out to 12%.
Before bottle conditioning it might be safer to put some in 1 bottle, leave the cap off (cotton ball or a bit of glad wrap) give it a week somewhere warm and see where it finishes with your bottling yeast, there could be a fair bit more fermentable in there than you expect.
Or just wait (and wait...) it could go a bit further with time, being warmer would help, maybe a week in the fermenting fridge at a nice steady 20-23oC will give it the legs it needs.
Mark

 

[akx]

Here's my anec-data. Had a batch of 8% Saison. Yeast should have been able to handle that condition and carb up bottles. It didn't. I waited, I warmed, I swirled. Bottles were half carbed and sweet. I opened maybe a third, and added some us-05 and recapped. Those bottles turned out great. The rest - not so much.